Jerry Brown told to consider county supervisor job

Gov. Jerry Brown has an affinity for California's 58 counties - he's fond of comparing philosophies of residents from different areas of the state (particularly the "Modocians" from Modoc County).

County officials have noticed. This week - as the governor attended two events held by the California State Association of Counties - association president and Yolo County Supervisor Mike McGowan listed all of Brown's elected experience: community college board member, secretary of state, governor, mayor, attorney general and governor again.

Missing from that list, McGowan noted, was a stint as a county supervisor.

"I think he's got some supervisor envy, because he just keeps coming back for more," he said.

Who knows? Maybe we'll see some "Jerry Brown for Alameda County Supervisor" signs come 2014 or 2018.

Strong feelings: San Francisco Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, known for his wisecracks, had a strikingly strong reaction to some of his colleague's comments during a debate over his bill to create a state commission to regulate the cannabis industry.

Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber (Tehama County), compared the legislation to "Sherman's March to the Sea on local government," while another GOP lawmaker said it discriminates against unincorporated areas that are governed solely by a board of supervisors.

Linda Halderman, a surgeon and GOP Assemblywoman from Fresno, pronounced the entire debate as one "about whether people can get high."

"Here's what happening," added Assemblyman Steve Knight, R-Palmdale (Los Angeles County). "You can go in and get your medical marijuana prescription for a hangnail or whatever you like. ... This has turned into the biggest sham we've ever seen."

Cut to Ammiano on the Assembly floor: "What upsets me the most, is that in my personal history I have sat by way too many death beds to hear an assumption ... that there is no palliative reason for the ingestion of marijuana in any form, when I saw it work on nausea, glaucoma, pain control, herpes. This is important to the LGBT community, which does face discrimination, as opposed to county boards."

The measure ultimately passed.

No burning required: Two years ago Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona (Riverside County), introduced a bill to allow for an eco-friendlier alternative to cremation and burial in California. This week, the Assembly finally gave Miller's idea the green light.

Water resolution - also known as alkaline hydrolysis - speeds up the decomposition process to just a few hours, using water, potassium hydroxide and turbulence to dissolve body tissue. The remaining bones can be pulverized into a substance similar to ash, and proponents say the remaining liquid can be safety poured down the drain - no pollution necessary.

While the process is already used at research facilities and some funeral homes in other states, Miller's first two attempts ran into some problems.

So this time around, the GOP lawmaker wrote legislation that not only legalizes the process, but also creates a permitting, licensing and regulatory framework for funeral homes that use it. The bill easily passed the Assembly on a 71-1 vote, and now heads to the state Senate for consideration.